


Rooms

by ailixandrite2dot0 (AILiSeki)



Series: Crystal Authority/Diamond Rebellion AU [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Crystal Authority AU, Diamond Rebellion AU, Episode: s01e04 Together Breakfast, Gen, Roleswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AILiSeki/pseuds/ailixandrite2dot0
Summary: Two adventures Steven had in the temple.
Relationships: Blue Diamond & Pink Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond & Steven Universe & White Diamond & Yellow Diamond
Series: Crystal Authority/Diamond Rebellion AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676866
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	Rooms

**Author's Note:**

> Not a lot of plot going on here, I just wanted to show a little more of what the Diamonds are like in present time.

The first time Steven ever entered the temple, the actual temple behind the magical door with four small crystals on it forming a diamond shape, he didn’t do it because he was curious about what was inside it. He was curious, of course, but at the moment he was more worried about the perfect breakfast he had made and that he wanted so badly to share with the Diamonds. So, when Yellow came out asking if he had seen Blue and he told her she was in the temple, and Yellow just went back without listening to what else he had to say, he followed her without thinking twice.

He found himself in what looked like a labyrinth of golden walls. The door leading outside disappeared, and he couldn’t keep track of Yellow as she quickly took some sharp turns and left his field of vision.

“Is this Yellow’s room?” He asked himself, looking around.

The labyrinth was not empty. Hanging on every other wall were all sort of weapons, from spears to daggers to bows with their arrows, to maces and axes and many others Steven had never heard of or seen before, and of course, many, many swords. In all sizes and shapes and colors. All of that actually fit well with Yellow.

Steven started walking, trying to find her so he could show her the breakfast, calling her name every few steps. She was probably already far, maybe she was even out of the room. But he couldn’t see a door anywhere, and he had a strange feeling that the room was getting bigger the more he walked.

He stopped as he nearly hit a wall while he was looking the other way. It was not very large, and he could walk around it through either way. While most of the other walls had a couple of weapons at least, this one had only one. A sword, silver and simple, blade in a shape vaguely familiar. Steven balanced the breakfast on one hand while the other reached for it.

“Steven! What are you doing here?” Yellow’s deep voice called from behind him.

Steven quickly turned around, sword forgotten. “Yellow! I made us breakfast!”

“Breakfast?” She frowned, then her eyes found the dish he was holding. “You know we Diamonds don’t need to eat.”

“Yeah, but… I thought we could spend some time together.” He said, hopeful. Yellow didn’t say anything, and she didn’t seem to be looking forward to it. “You don’t need to eat.” He added, hoping that would warm her up to the idea.

It didn’t. Yellow just sighed.

“Let’s get you out of here. The temple is too dangerous for you.”

She took a step forward, and Steven took one step back.

“No! I still haven’t talked to White and Blue!”

“You can talk to them later.” Yellow said, taking another step towards him.

She was going to pick him up. Steven hated when the Diamonds did that. He was not a little kid to need to be carried by them everywhere. Specially not to places where he didn’t want to go.

Knowing Yellow wouldn’t listen to him, he just started running away from her, taking care not to mess the breakfast.

“Steven! Wait!” She called after him, but he ignored her.

Steven kept running, but soon he realized he reached the end of the room. There wasn’t any exit door, nor a wall blocking his way. The room just ended, and beyond it was a dark void. And he was awfully close to the border.

“Steven… be very careful.” Yellow said.

Steven couldn’t answer. There was something just terrifying about that darkness, and he was frozen in place, legs trembling. The tips of his feet weren’t touching any ground. He needed to take a step back but his body wasn’t obeying him.

“Calm down. It’s alright, everything will be alright. I got you.” Yellow said. She was approaching him.

Steven took a deep breath. He could do it. Just a couple steps back. He raised one leg, slowly, way to slow. Standing on just one leg, he lost his balance, and fell in the darkness.

“Steven!” Yellow shouted.

He was slightly aware of his own scream. He still couldn’t see anything, he had no idea of how far he was falling.

Suddenly, he stopped falling. His body didn’t hurt, which felt wrong, but he had survived and it wasn’t dark anymore. On the contrary, it was very bright.

Steven stood up and looked around. He was now in the center of an empty room. It was huge, much bigger than his house. It almost looked to big to fit in the cliff where the temple was located. Then again, so did Yellow’s room. The walls were all white, and so was the floor and the ceiling, on which there was no hole through which he could have entered.

He saw the remains of his breakfast on the floor, the dish broken.

“Aah.” He said, heartbroken. His plan to spend some time with the Diamonds over a perfect meal was ruined.

Steven took another look around. He couldn’t see any door on the walls. How was he going to get out of this place?

It was making him nervous, not only not seeing a way out, but the place itself. It was different from Yellow’s room, where he couldn’t see any end. At least there he had the weapons to look at. In this one, there was nothing. He started walking towards one of the walls, but it didn’t seem to get any closer. All that white was starting to hurt his eyes.

He suddenly felt something grabbing the back of his shirt, and he was lifted until his eyes met White’s. Something was weird about this room’s lightning. Her body and hair and clothes all looked slightly… pinkish.

“It’s not polite to enter someone’s room without permission.” She said.

“You guys enter my room all the time.” Steven said, slightly blushing. “This is your room?”

White nodded, her expression softening. “What are you doing here?”

“I… uh…”

“Steven!” He heard Yellow calling in a relieved voice. He couldn’t see where she came from, but she was soon on White’s side.

White placed him on the floor.

“I just… wanted us to have a nice time together. You are always so busy! I made breakfast…” Steven gave a sad look at it, then blinked. Did he really walk that much?

White followed his gaze, while Yellow checked his body for injuries. She found none.

“Don’t ever do this again!” Yellow shouted, but she didn’t really sound mad. “You could have hurt yourself!”

White’s gem started glowing, and Steven watched starry-eyed as a copy of the temple door appeared in front of her.

“Why don’t you show Yellow how to make this _breakfast_ thing, and I will get Blue?”

Needless to say Steven loved that idea.

The adventure ended well, of course, with Steven sharing an even better breakfast with the Diamonds. When the temple door opened for White and Blue to join him, he caught a glimpse of a different room. It was lit by a warm light, and there were colorful bubbles floating around. He guessed that must be Blue’s room. It looked like a fun place.

* * *

It took a while until Steven first visited Blue’s actual room. He had just been back from Homeworld, from the trial, and even if he had already worked things out with Connie, he was not doing as well as he wished. The truth was that he was terrified. Every time he closed his eyes he could see the terrifying faces of Pearl and Amethyst. He didn’t know what to do.

Differently from before, this time Blue invited him to the temple, and she was the one who took him to her room.

By then Steven already guessed that the bubble room wasn’t Blue’s room, and he couldn’t imagine what her actual room looked like.

Like Yellow’s and White’s and his mother’s, it also looked endless. It had the appearance of the interior of a cave, with small crystals all around emitting a soft light. There was a natural pool, and a small waterfall that produced a relaxing sound. The whole atmosphere there was very nice.

“We all used to come here once in a while. The four of us. Just to relax.”

Steven looked up at Blue. She was a very kind person, and he knew she loved him, just as he loved her, but she was a bit of an enigma to him. He still remembered how distant she felt just a few months before, how she never hugged him, how he feared that she more than anyone blamed him for his mother not being around. He still secretly did.

He thought this place would help him understand her better, but he was just more confused now.

“Why don’t you go into the water?” Blue suggested. “It will help you feel better.”

Steven doubted it would, but he didn’t say it. Instead he took off his shirt and flip flops and entered the water. It wasn’t too cold nor too warm. It was just the perfect temperature.

Blue sat on the edge of it, her legs entering the water.

That felt… nice. Nicer than Steven expected.

“Did Mom like coming here?” He asked.

“I hope she did.” Blue said. “Pink was haunted by so many things from her past. I just wanted to give her peace, even if just for a moment. I wanted to give it to all of them.”

There was a sad note to Blue’s voice, like it often was when she talked about Pink. Steven wanted to ask her a question, but the words slipped from his mind. Part of him didn’t want to remember what it was. The atmosphere was so good, he didn’t want to ruin it.

“Pink was so good to me.” Blue said in an almost inaudible voice. “She always said I should put my own well-being first. But how was I supposed to do nothing when my friends were hurting and I knew I could help?”

Steven had no idea of what she was talking about, and he couldn’t really focus on her words properly. It was like… like he was getting sleepy, but it wasn’t exactly that. It was… he couldn’t…

He vaguely heard Blue calling his name, but it sounded far away.

Steven opened his eyes and the first thing he saw were tiny shining crystals. His head hurt. Looking around, he saw the Diamonds standing nearby. They seemed to be arguing, but Steven couldn’t hear them at first.

His hearing came back suddenly, and he heard White’s stern voice.

“- shouldn’t be doing this! You promised, Blue!”

“He was hurting and nothing we did helped!” Blue replied. “I can’t stand seeing him like this!”

“You had no idea of how his body would react to your powers!” Yellow said. “He could have drowned!”

“I’m fine!” Steven exclaimed and immediately regretted it. His head didn’t seem happy with the effort.

“Steven!” In a moment White and Yellow were sitting on each of his sides. Blue also approached, but she remained standing a few steps from him.

“I’m fine.” He repeated, now in a lower voice. “I just… fell asleep in that lake thing. It’s not Blue’s fault.”

Blue covered her mouth with her hands, eyes teary. White and Yellow gave her sharp looks.

Closing her eyes, Blue knelt down in front of Steven.

“It _is_ my fault. I’m sorry.”

Steven sat up so he could look at her. His headache was slowly fading.

“What do you mean?”

Blue hesitated.

“Just tell him.” White said, showing her a sympathetic look.

“I… brought you here to take your worries away.” Blue said. Steven frowned, not understanding it. “Literally. It is a thing I can do.”

_Oh_. Was this like that thing White could do…?

“Blue has the power of influencing other gems' emotions.” White said, nodding.

Steven blushed. He trusted White’s word that she didn’t read his thoughts all the time, but he still couldn’t get used to the moments when she revealed she was doing it.

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled, lowering her eyes.

“I can take away someone’s feelings, specific feelings, just by touching them.” Blue explained. “It’s not permanent, but I can relieve them of feelings that hurt them for a while.”

Steven wasn’t sure about how to feel about it. Well, he wasn’t sure about how to feel about anything now. Could he trust his own feelings? Or was he still under the influence of Blue’s powers?

“But… you weren’t touching me when I fell asleep.” He said. He remembered it well, Blue was sitting on the pool’s edge.

“The water.” Blue said. “We were both touching it.”

“Ah.” Steven looked at the pool. “Is this what you did when you all used to come here to relax?”

“It was… until Pink found out what I was doing.”

“I don’t think I had ever seen Pink so mad.” Yellow said in a lightly teasing tone.

Steven couldn’t remember ever hearing about his mother being mad.

“I’m really sorry, Steven.” Blue apologized again.

“You… were only trying to help.” Steven said. It was true, he knew it. “You could have told me about it before, though.”

“I should have.” Blue nodded. “You should also know, even without touching, I can still influence other gems' feelings, even if I don’t want to. I try to keep it under control, but…”

Wow. This was a lot to take in. “Are there any other secret Diamond powers I should know about?”

“Not from me.” Yellow said. “I’m an open book.”

“I don’t think so.” Blue said.

“This is all relatively new for us too.” White said. “We spent more of our existences without knowing we had any sort of powers.”

“But you said you found out about mind control during the war…” He trailed off, realization hitting him. He knew the Diamonds were old, but he never stopped to think how old.

White nodded.

“Are there any other secrets I should know about?”

The Diamonds exchanged a look. Steven sighed. Of course there were.

“It can wait.” Blue said. “You are already under a lot of stress.”

“Can you tell how I was feeling? When you… took my feelings?” He needed to know. Did she know what he was worried about? The negative feelings towards his mother after going on trial for her crimes, the fear of Pearl and Amethyst and what they would do to him and to Earth when they found him, Lars…?

“In a way. I know what it felt like, but not what caused these feelings or towards what you felt them.” Blue explained. “It’s temporary. Soon enough they will come back, specially if what caused them hasn’t been dealt with.”

That explained why Steven felt it all coming back as soon as he started thinking about it. It was a small relief, despite everything, to know he could trust his own feelings again.

“Alright.” He said. “You will tell me someday, right?”

“When the time is right.” White said.

Steven nodded. He didn’t want to wait. He would rather know everything already. But that was an improvement anyway. 

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda lied, I ended up revealing some things that I planned on keeping hidden for longer. 
> 
> The powers thing is a bit like Peridot in Too Short to Ride. 
> 
> There is a lot more communication going on in this AU, as you can see. Including between Pink and everyone else in the past. But there are still secrets and badly resolved issues.
> 
> Let me know what you think of it so far! I am still experimenting with things here, I have no set order to post the stories. I hope the reading experience is interesting.


End file.
